Preview — Born on a Mountaintop
by Bob Thompson

Born on a Mountaintop: On the Road with Davy Crockett and the Ghosts of the Wild Frontier

Pioneer. Congressman. Martyr of the Alamo. King of the Wild Frontier. As with all great legends, Davy Crockett's has been retold many times. Over the years, he has been repeatedly reinvented by historians and popular storytellers. In Born on a Mountaintop, Bob Thompson combines the stories of the real hero and his Disney-enhanced afterlife as he delves deep into our love Pioneer. Congressman. Martyr of the Alamo. King of the Wild Frontier. As with all great legends, Davy Crockett's has been retold many times. Over the years, he has been repeatedly reinvented by historians and popular storytellers. In Born on a Mountaintop, Bob Thompson combines the stories of the real hero and his Disney-enhanced afterlife as he delves deep into our love for an American icon. In the road-trip tradition of Sarah Vowell and Tony Horwitz, Thompson follows Crockett's footsteps from his birthplace in east Tennessee to Washington, where he served three terms in Congress, and on to Texas and the gates of the Alamo, seeking out those who know, love, and are still willing to fight over Davy's life and legacy.Born on a Mountaintop is more than just a bold new biography of one of the great American heroes. Thompson's rich mix of scholarship, reportage, humor, and exploration of modern Crockett landscapes bring Davy Crockett's impact on the American imagination vividly to life....more

I was in Barnes & Noble looking – and failing to find – an entirely different book when I came across Bob Thompson’s Born on a Mountaintop: On the Road with Davy Crockett and the Ghosts of the Wild Frontier. The curse I uttered was the curse of a man who knows he’s about to buy a book at full cover price.

Thompson’s book is of a particular sub-genre that I cannot resist: the historical travelogue/memoir. The best examples of this brand include Sarah Vowell’s Assassination Vacation and Tony HorowI was in Barnes & Noble looking – and failing to find – an entirely different book when I came across Bob Thompson’s Born on a Mountaintop: On the Road with Davy Crockett and the Ghosts of the Wild Frontier. The curse I uttered was the curse of a man who knows he’s about to buy a book at full cover price.

Thompson’s book is of a particular sub-genre that I cannot resist: the historical travelogue/memoir. The best examples of this brand include Sarah Vowell’s Assassination Vacation and Tony Horowitz’s Confederates in the Attic. Thompson’s conceit is similar to that of Vowell and Horowitz: to follow in the footsteps of the past; to reveal history by visiting the present-day remnants; and to meet and converse with people who love their particular subjects with passionate intensity.

Thompson’s love for David Crockett began many years ago – adorably enough – when his then-young daughters demanded continual replays of The Ballad of Davy Crockett. (Alas, I attempted to share this ballad with my fifteen-month old, sung by the ever-twangy Roy Rogers. The result: add one more thing the long list of things that makes the baby cry). At some point, after a long career at the Washington Post, Thompson decided to set out on Crockett’s trail, possibly because these types of road-trip books almost write themselves. (At the very least, the author will get one person – me – to pay hardcover price).

The journey takes you to Crockett’s birthplace in eastern Tennessee, to Washington D.C., where Crockett served as a Congressman, and to San Antonio, Texas – the Alamo – where Crockett died a man and was reborn a myth. Along the way, Thompson stops to explore certain myths and mysteries surrounding the Coonskin-Capped One. For instance, one chapter attempts to trace the life and times of Polly Finley, the “love” of Crockett’s life whose death barely warrants a mention in his famous autobiography.

The tone of Thompson’s narrative is warm and comfortable. Like a story your dad would tell, complete with all the “jokes” your dad – and your dad alone – would find funny. In other words, it lacks the lacerating wit used by Sarah Vowell to puncture gaseous myths and cherished fallacies of American history.

The text is learned and, unlike other similar books of the genre, actually includes source notes and a bibliography. I really appreciated this because Thompson’s book perked my interest in several subtopics – chiefly, the Creek Indian War – and I wanted to know what reading Thompson had found helpful. (It’s also nice to know that the actual history being woven into the travelogue isn’t something printed off Wikipedia).

The chief difficulty in following in David Crockett’s footsteps is that his steps have faded almost entirely away. A travelogue/memoir about the Civil War is easy, because we’ve protected (mostly, the big ones at least) our Civil War battlefields. Not so with Crockett. His birthplace and residences and tavern and mill are all gone. Even the locations are only proximate. The battlefields of the Creek War have similarly disappeared. Take, for example, the battle of the Tallushatchee, in which Crockett participated. In his memoir, Crockett infamously tells of a cabin full of warriors who were burned alive. The next day, he and his men went back to that charred house:

It was, somehow or other, found out that the house had a potatoe [sic] cellar under it, and an immediate examination was made, for we were all hungry as wolves. We found a fine chance of potatoes in it, and hunger compelled us to eat them, though I had a little rather not, if I could have helped it, for the oil of the Indians we had burned up on the day before had run down on them, and they looked like they had been stewed with fat meat.

The exact location of this gruesome little event is unknown to this day. Heck, even the spelling of the fight – as Thompson points out – is uncertain. It is one thing to go to the stone wall at Gettysburg and imagine Pickett’s long doomed charge. It is a far less satisfying thing to pull off the road and read a stone marker arbitrarily placed near the shifted-bend of an old river and try to convince yourself you are standing at a hallowed place.

(Even the most famous spot of Crockett’s life – the Alamo – is a sorry shell of its former self. All that remains of the Texan “shrine” is the chapel – with its bastard façade – and part of the convent building. The wooden palisade, where the Crockett of legend fought is gone; as is the north wall, where the leader Travis died; the south wall – including the room where Bowie died; and the west wall, which has been replaced by a Ripley’s Haunted Adventure and a wax museum).

Because ghosts – of men and buildings and villages – are all that are left, Thompson chases them as best he can. One of the most enjoyable chapters centers on Disney’s marvelous three-part television series, Davy Crockett, Indian Fighter, Davy Crockett Goes to Congress, and Davy Crockett at the Alamo.

I was not around in 1954-55 to join the original coonskin cap craze. But when I was seven or eight, my mom rented Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier, the theatrical version of the Disney series, and my life changed. Or, at least, the fate of my next five Halloween costumes was settled.

Thompson briskly provides the making-of story, including an entertaining visit to Cherokee, North Carolina, where parts of the show were filmed. Many of the Cherokee Indians who were cast in the production were still around to pass on their stories.

For obvious reasons, Crockett’s death at the Alamo is the most thoroughly examined single topic of his life. After all, without the Alamo, Crockett is forgotten today. Instead, Daniel Boone would be our preeminent frontiersman, the original pathfinder and trailblazer.

I’ve read just about all there is on the Alamo. It’s one of my favorite historical subjects. As an active observer of the “Alamo wars,” pitting Texans and their heroes verses outside historians and their skepticism, I thought Thompson’s handling of the famous dawn battle was marvelous. Especially laudatory is his handling of Crockett’s death, which has been the topic of much heated speculation.

(Reviewer's Note: Had Pee Wee gone to the Alamo and asked where Crockett had been executed - rather than a query about the Alamo basement - he would not have been laughed at. He would have died. I’m not joking. He would have been shot in the face).

Thompson’s lucid explanation of the de la Pena manuscript – which contains a reference to Crockett’s execution – is thoughtful, rational, and shorn of agenda. He comes to a very simple, probably correct conclusion: that de la Pena’s manuscript is genuine, and genuinely incorrect as to Crockett’s demise.

One thing that Born on a Mountaintop lacked was memorable characters. In Horowitz’s Confederates in the Attic, for instance, the people that Horowitz met and interviewed were unforgettable. There is no one here as funny, as colorful, as poignant as Robert Lee Hodge. The various Crockett aficionados that Thompson meets are friendly, passionate, and helpful. But none of them stick out.

Another mild criticism is the absence of a Crockett Vision. Thompson spends a lot of time trying to track this man down. He’s traveled thousands of miles, read thousands of pages, and probably burned through a pretty good per diem following the vanished wake of this 19th century bear-slaughterer. Yet he never really gives us his Crockett the Man Theory. To the contrary, Thompson seems to concede that a coherent portrait of Crockett is impossible.

History drives a hard bargain. If you aren’t the famous one in the center of the picture, your life will likely be forgotten, no matter how interesting it is. And if you are the famous one, as Crockett was in just about everybody’s picture of the Alamo, you will never be seen clearly again.

There is truth to that, of course. When you think of Crockett, you probably think of Fess Parker or John Wayne (tip: don’t think of John Wayne), not the prolific bear hunter of the cane, or the sometimes Indian fighter, or the rough-spun raconteur who floated to the top (or at least to respectability) during the Age of Jackson, or the failed politician who went to Texas to bolster his flagging fortunes.

Still, I would’ve liked Thompson’s honest-to-goodness take on the man he’s tracked.

Here’s mine: Crockett is the quintessential 21st century American. He created his fame (though not much of a fortune) out of thin air. He went to Congress, wrote a book, and got touted (only semiseriously) for the Presidency on the basis of a biography hewn almost entirely out of crap (or, more politely, thin air). Today, Crockett would have his own reality show on the History Channel called Canebrake Men. The cameras would roll as he roamed the woods, shooting unsuspecting animals and passing on folksy wisdom.

Crockett was an ambitious man whose truest talent – and it is a talent – was self-promotion. He magnified the fact and created a nonexistent truth to make himself a pre-celebrity-era celebrity. Near broke and running on fumes – like a post-Real World Puck – he went to Texas. And there, he got caught in the Alamo. Not by the Mexicans. But by his legend....more

All over America there are old white guys like me who can still sing the theme song from the Davy Crockett TV shows. Yes, I had a coonskin cap and defended the Alamo in my front yard a thousand times – always dying a heroic death, but only after dispatching hundreds of Mexicans. Bob Thompson’s “Born on a Mountain Top: On the Road with Davy Crockett and the Ghosts of the Wild Frontier” was written for and about us. Thompson embarked on a year-long historical road trip to detach history from mythoAll over America there are old white guys like me who can still sing the theme song from the Davy Crockett TV shows. Yes, I had a coonskin cap and defended the Alamo in my front yard a thousand times – always dying a heroic death, but only after dispatching hundreds of Mexicans. Bob Thompson’s “Born on a Mountain Top: On the Road with Davy Crockett and the Ghosts of the Wild Frontier” was written for and about us. Thompson embarked on a year-long historical road trip to detach history from mythology as represented by the life of David Crockett. He does a pretty good job. He never takes himself too seriously and looks at both historians and Crockettologists with a sympathetic, yet discerning eye. He tells the real story of Crockett and details the role of TV in shaping the 20th century version of the myth. He left me with a reluctant admiration for Walt Disney as a showman, entrepreneur and cultural arbiter. I recommend the book with a solid three stars. I finished it yesterday and still keep hearing in my head: “Davy, Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier!” ...more

I won't blame Thompson for making an overt reference to Confederates in the Attic for his book, since it probably helped sell copies. However, there is a two way street and this book from the cover says it is in the tradition of Tony Horwitz and Sarah Vowell. Horwitz's modern classic looms large on this one.

A travelogue is probably not a bad idea. As you may know, most of my reading in the past few years fall in that category. For me, Horwitz, Vowell, Bryson and Algeo to name a few. Thompson's tI won't blame Thompson for making an overt reference to Confederates in the Attic for his book, since it probably helped sell copies. However, there is a two way street and this book from the cover says it is in the tradition of Tony Horwitz and Sarah Vowell. Horwitz's modern classic looms large on this one.

A travelogue is probably not a bad idea. As you may know, most of my reading in the past few years fall in that category. For me, Horwitz, Vowell, Bryson and Algeo to name a few. Thompson's travelogue doesn't quite work as he likely saw it out. Those aforementioned all excellent writers found key hooks to hang their story on.

There is plenty of angles you can go with the Civil War, but you don't need to describe the Civil War to anyone. Where Thompson gets bogged down is that not everyone knows the timeline of Crockett and so he loses something in trying to attempt a travelogue and a biography. Most travelogues are around 200 pages because you don't want to overstay your welcome. This book at 300+ page travels into tedium.

Now, Horwitz (and Ken Burns) got a lot of mileage out of Shelby Foote, and Foote indeed is on the short list of great Civil War historians, but the thing is that there isn't just four or five Civil War historians. I suspect Thompson thought he would find a bunch of whacky zany Davy Crockett obsessed local historians. It just turns out that they are normal people who like Davy Crockett and dedicated themselves to his work.

Most of the book is a slog following Crockett's trail. Staring off with Daniel Boone, who ostensibly did more adventuring but was eclipsed time and time again by Crockett's legend. There of course is not a lot of facts that can be put together to definitively pin Crockett down.

Crockett was arguably America's first pop star. Part was legend and biography written by Crockett, part was facts and folklore written by biographers often with an agenda to sell books, and part was from caricature that eventually blended into the legend (think Tina Fey's Palin).

One of Crockett's most famous moment was stepping up against Andrew Jackson and arguing against Indian removal. Crockett was a rogue politician. Still, like even today's rogues (Palin, Trump, Paul), it's hard to figure out motivations. Crockett's stand made him a favorite of Jackson's opponents and he toured the East with the support of JQ Adams supporters.

It is a weird move. Was Crockett easily duped? Was he exploited? Was Crockett smart and realized his friend was his enemy's enemy? And about Indian removal- hadn't Crockett fought Indians? Was Crockett that unicorn- a politician with real integrity? Maybe all of these?

The records are incomplete and contradictory. Well, even in the age of the 24/7 newscycle, our findings are often incomplete.

Crockett did become a legend though. The country was hungry for a hero and Crockett was provided for them. Crockett's biography was a best seller and is still in print and considered a classic. He became as much of a part of American folklore as Johnny Appleseed and Paul Bunyan.

The book explains how the legend grew, The book never shakes the shadow of Confederates in the Attic though, as Thompson moves from location to location.

As the book nears an end, it hits its more interesting parts. We get the serendipitous intervention of Walt Disney who picked Crockett, and not Daniel Boone or any other more obscure frontiersman to help promote his Theme Park, specifically the area he called Adventureland.

The Davy Crockett series of three episodes (later put together as one movie) causes a mass sensation. Although I am a generation removed, I know that there was a coonskin cap craze for my parents, and the character of Davy Crockett was no distant memory.

Fess Parker was a national hero and went on a nationwide tour, where he was feted by everyone wherever he went. The Ballad of Davy Crockett was the most popular song in the nation, and everyone rushed to cash in.

It is weird to imagine that Davy Crockett was a cultural icon on par with Elvis Presley. Thompson shares the recent cultural history. The myth has endured. Crockett's tragic end making him more of a legend to tell than Boone who made the poor career decision of living to the old age of 85 instead of martyrdom.

The chapter on the 20th Century cultural portrayals puts the book back in line with the fun read the cover promised. They covered Parker in detail, John Wayne, Billy Bob Thornton, and the audiobook character portrayed by Nicholas Cage. Are any of them close to the real thing?

The final chapter which deals with the most compelling mystery- Crockett at the Alamo- also was interesting. We have journals, but they have been found only recently and have been revised through the years. What is the truth? Can we count on "found" journals that are really someone's recollections where they may not have even been there in the first place.

Cultural references put Crockett as the last of a few fighting to the bitter end- rifle raised to strike in hand to hand combat. Not only reference in the most famous Alamo painting, but in many Alamo paintings.

A local legend talks about a surrender of the last few who are taken to Santa Anna and then are executed by the uncaring Mexican leader. From here, there are conflicting reports of Crockett either dying a defiant hero or begging for his life like a coward.

Where Crockett is buried is a mystery, as several places seem to take credit for it. Thompson goes into the history of the various journals and stories of Crockett's death, and presents sides from various Crockettologists who argue violently amongst each other. He also gets a bit into the history of the Mexican War to give it a modern context.

Only in these final pages does the book deliver a light reading of history reminiscent of the work of Sarah Vowell or Tony Horwitz....more

I'm afraid this one just didn't connect with me. I was hoping for something educational and charming but not here. Just too little known about Davy after his term in Congress and all the conjecture just wasn't interesting. 2 Stars

I came to know and love Davy Crockett in about the same manner as everyone else my age, or even thirty years older than me. It was watching Fess Parker play Davy Crockett for Disney, that made me fall in love with the adventures he had, and the kind of man he was. Parker's Davy was daring, generous, fearless, and about every other positive adjective I can think of. I wanted to go on his adventures and grow into the man he was. He was almost godlike to me as a kid, and all I wanted was that damn I came to know and love Davy Crockett in about the same manner as everyone else my age, or even thirty years older than me. It was watching Fess Parker play Davy Crockett for Disney, that made me fall in love with the adventures he had, and the kind of man he was. Parker's Davy was daring, generous, fearless, and about every other positive adjective I can think of. I wanted to go on his adventures and grow into the man he was. He was almost godlike to me as a kid, and all I wanted was that damn coonskin cap. I don't think I ever got that hat, but I never lost that feeling of adventure and awe that Davy, through Parker, instilled in me.

I was such a huge fan that when I finally had enough points with the Disney Movie Rewards program, the very first thing I ordered was the Davy Crockett Two Movie Set on DVD. At that point in time, my son had never seen anything about or knew who Davy Crockett was. When we got it in the mail, we fired it up, and I introduced my son to one of my childhood heroes. There is just something so magical about the way Fess Parker played him, because it got my son hooked on him and he wanted to know all about Davy, Colonel Travis, Jim Bowie, and all the rest of the heroes who died in the Alamo. I actually had to explain to him that Davy, though he is single handily fighting off the Mexican soldiers at the end of the movie, died. My son though he lived and prevailed since the image faded to black. He couldn't believe that this man, who he had just met, could die. This was a few years ago, and while my son isn't as fascinated by him as he was then, he will occasionally put the movie in, and relive the adventures all over again.

For me, watching them with my son, it brought back all the magic. I fell in love all over again. Now my love for Davy has never made me go out and do my own research into his life. I did buy a few children's books for my son after we had watched the movies for the first time, but I was never compelled to go out and read about the man himself. I think part of me was scared that if I got to know the real Davy Crockett, that some of the magic would go away. Even as a kid, I understood that the Davy I knew, was more myth like than real. That he had been built up into some sort of a demigod; much like Paul Bunyan, Pecos Bill, Johnny Appleseed, or John Henry. He was a creation of fact and fiction, and I was worried that some of the fact would overshadow that myth.

It's that separation that Bob Thompson was trying to do in his book, Born on a Mountaintop: One the Road with Davy Crockett and the Ghosts of the Wild Frontier. Much like myself, he first discovered Davy through Fess Parker and Disney and rediscovered him through his kids. Unlike myself, he was curious enough to set out on a journey to try and discover the real Davy Crockett, who the man was behind the myth. What he found out is that sometimes, it's very hard to figure that out.

Our history books are not only full of facts and dates, but they include a fair amount of guesswork, myth building, and a even a tiny bit of fiction. Those boundaries seem to be even further blurred when is comes to Davy Crockett. So much of what we know, or think we know, is myth and reality combined into a rather tangled skein, difficult to comb out. Thompson, through interviews, talking with Davy addicted historians, visiting site and landmarks important to the life of Davy Crockett, and investigation some of the source material himself, tries to do some combing on his own. Oftentimes he discovers enough to make a solid decision on whether something is fact, fiction, or a blending of the two. Other times, he is left with having to make an educated assumption, understanding he may have it wrong.

I'm not sure we will ever know the complete factual details of Davy Crockett's life, nor do I think we need to. We need our heroes, our demigods, almost as much as the Greeks and Romans did. We need men and women to elevate to a higher plane, people we can look up to and celebrate. I'm not sure how much can actually be accomplished if we were able to bring them back down to Earth. I think it's best they are left up in the stratosphere, it gives us, and future generations an example of how to live our lives.

Born on a Mountaintop: On the Road with Davy Crockett and the Ghosts of the Wild Frontier gives us some of those missing facts, dispels some of the myths, but keeps the magic intact. Bob Thompson was able to create this wonderful balancing act of finding out the truth, what he could anyway, and keeping the myth whole. He didn't hurt the legend of Davy Crockett through this book, he made it stronger and brought more color to it. He kept Davy Crockett magical for me, but gave me more information about who the man actually was....more

"Davy, Davy Crockett, Kind of the Wild Frontier!" Do the words to this song ring through your head with any mention of legendary woodsman? Did you see the 1950s Disney series or movies with Fess Parker and become enchanted with this frontier hero? Bob Thompson takes readers on a journey in "Born on a Mountaintop: On the Road with Davy Crockett and the Ghosts of the Wild Frontier" to discover the real David Crockett,historical figure, and compare him with the pop culture icon that's been hanging "Davy, Davy Crockett, Kind of the Wild Frontier!" Do the words to this song ring through your head with any mention of legendary woodsman? Did you see the 1950s Disney series or movies with Fess Parker and become enchanted with this frontier hero? Bob Thompson takes readers on a journey in "Born on a Mountaintop: On the Road with Davy Crockett and the Ghosts of the Wild Frontier" to discover the real David Crockett,historical figure, and compare him with the pop culture icon that's been hanging around since before his last stand at the Alamo.

Starting out at home base in Tennessee, Thompson travels most of the trails that David (his moniker for the real Crockett vs. Davy for the legend) walked, gathering stories - some half truths, some tall tales and trying to document what happened to the mountain man. What part was real and what part is fabricated? Everywhere the author goes, we see there are no easy answers to these questions. From the pages of his own autobiography to letters and correspondence - and "eye witness" accounts we get to see how murky historical information can really be, especially in situations where written evidence and documents just don't exist. Can third person accounts passed down through generations be trusted?

Because of the multifaceted characters of David and Davy, this story has many interesting twists and turns. Thompson meets a variety of Crockettologists, all with a unique love and perspective of our coon-capped hero (did he even wear a coon cap?) He discovers that every place that has a "story" (verified or not) seems to have some tribute to Crockett - monuments, museums, portrait, hotels, roads, parks. All over Tennessee and Texas, travelers will find the larger than life legend, with sometimes bits of the "man" also apparent. The Crockett story is a complex one. Every piece of his life has three different versions (at least) with no clear trace of the truth.

I really didn't know what to expect when I picked up this book. As a homeschooling mom, a few weeks away from embarking on the era of Crockett, I always like to read additional material on our studies. There is a wealth of Crockett material out there, and it was happenstance that I ran across an ARC of this book. I thoroughly enjoyed Thompson's travels and was amazed at the amount of Crockett lore out there - and how emotionally attached folks are to "their" Davy. Even Thompson acknowledges his own bias, his desire to believe the best about David.

Every part of Crockett's life is meticulously researched. Legends are documented as well. Thompson hunted down site after site in place after place, talked to numerous Crockettologists (I just love that word) from every walk of life, poured over existing documentation and sifted through the various accounts of events along the trail. No stone was left unturned. Thompson mentions a spectrum of resources throughout the book, and then not only provides notes, but explanations of the resources in the notes, perhaps setting his book up to be the ultimate Crockett resource.

One thing I missed in this ARC copy were pictures. Notes in the beginning of the book mention an 8 page B/W photo section, but I didn't find one in my ebook copy. I can only imagine what might be in it - maybe a picture of Fess Parker playing Davy in the 1950s Disney series? Visuals will definitely enhance the reader experience.

This book is more than historical research. It is a study in our culture. How could this one simple man, with a simple life become an icon of his era - the indomitable frontier man - a representative of the American Spirit, so intertwined into the lore of a nation that each generation reinvents him for a new round of idol worship? From the months following his death, right up to today, we find Davy Crockett fueling the passions and imaginations of our country.

Recommend for: Lovers of history and students of pop culture, and anyone who has loved the story of Davy Crockett enough to own their own coon skin cap.

Note: I received a complementary copy of this book in exchange for my review. All opinions expressed are my own....more

Frontiersman, politician, and genuine American Icon, Davy Crockett was a legend in his own time. Although his time on Earth was relatively short, just forty-nine years, he achieved much before that fateful battle at the Alamo ended his celebrated life. His legendary status will live on forever, and it will never be equaled in its uniqueness. Author Bob Thompson offers a fascinating look into the blended facts and fallacies of Crockett's life in: "Born on a Mountaintop--On the Road with Davy CrocFrontiersman, politician, and genuine American Icon, Davy Crockett was a legend in his own time. Although his time on Earth was relatively short, just forty-nine years, he achieved much before that fateful battle at the Alamo ended his celebrated life. His legendary status will live on forever, and it will never be equaled in its uniqueness. Author Bob Thompson offers a fascinating look into the blended facts and fallacies of Crockett's life in: "Born on a Mountaintop--On the Road with Davy Crockett and the Ghosts of the Wild Frontier". The author's journey following the course of Crockett's life is intriguing, often surprising, and once again affirms why our true-life heroes deserve a place of honor in our hearts and minds. This is a wonderfully entertaining book for people like me who love American History. Just a shade less enjoyable than the book itself are the "Notes on Sources", which are a mini-book in themselves. My favorite "note" is the one in which the author extols the excellence of a children's CD in which actor Nicolas Cage portrays Davy Crockett. Cage's performance is described as "seamless" (Go Nic!), and hearing the author's description of the CD makes it more than okay to be a kid at heart, wanting to walk in Davy Crockett's footsteps as he made his history-making way across America. Dust off your coonskin cap--fake it if you don't have one--and settle in to get to know the King of the Wild Frontier. You'll be glad you did. Recommended. Book Copy Gratis Amazon Vine...more

I was definitely too young for Disney's Davy Crockett-Mania of the mid-1950s, however I do know the song through osmosis. For me, this was an informative read since I never really identified with Western or Frontier hero types. However, as of late I find the real stories to be compelling (not that anyone really knows anything but the bare bones of the real Crockett stories).

The evolution of the mythical Davy Crockett is almost as interesting as the truth. It is clear that Crockett was already a I was definitely too young for Disney's Davy Crockett-Mania of the mid-1950s, however I do know the song through osmosis. For me, this was an informative read since I never really identified with Western or Frontier hero types. However, as of late I find the real stories to be compelling (not that anyone really knows anything but the bare bones of the real Crockett stories).

The evolution of the mythical Davy Crockett is almost as interesting as the truth. It is clear that Crockett was already a celebrity by the time of his death at the Alamo. However, many facts were embellished over time by third hand "eyewitness" accounts and others who simply made things up for profit. There are numerous theories about how Crockett died at the Alamo. Did he go down fighting to the end, or was he executed after the battle and forced to grovel for his life? As the author demonstrates, attempts to prove the latter will likely end with "a coonskin cap burning on your lawn."

The formula here is reminiscent of other history/travel books like "Infinite West" (South Dakota) and "Back to the Front" (the Western Front of WWI). In it, the author follows as closely as possible in the footsteps of the subject enlisting local history experts and descendants to tell their stories. It also allows one to see that events of 200 years ago are really not as remote as they seem.

Hit the trail with Davy Crockett one more time. Don't try to tell me you didn't grow up wearing the coonskin cap while watching Davy's adventures on television. If you even read the first line of this review, I know you had to grow up around the legend of Davy Crockett. This book goes well beyond the legends, while still pausing to acknowledge them and appreciate their place in our lives. The author, Bob Thompson imparts to us both the facts and the fiction as he travels the country in pursuit oHit the trail with Davy Crockett one more time. Don't try to tell me you didn't grow up wearing the coonskin cap while watching Davy's adventures on television. If you even read the first line of this review, I know you had to grow up around the legend of Davy Crockett. This book goes well beyond the legends, while still pausing to acknowledge them and appreciate their place in our lives. The author, Bob Thompson imparts to us both the facts and the fiction as he travels the country in pursuit of everything Davy. It is surprising how many Davy Crockett historical sites are to be found throughout this nation. The author does a good job of leading us through the tall tales to the truth about Crockett. At least as close as we can expect to come to the truth about a man who has become a legend. Frontiersman, Indian fighter, homesteader, congressman, heroic legend, Davy Crockett was all of these to one degree or another. Well documented, this would be a good source book if you are interested in delving further into the life of this fascinating man. Book provided for review by Amazon Vine. ...more

Thompson roams around the country on the trail of Davy (who preferred to be called David) Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier. It's fascinating because we know so little about Crockett except what Walt Disney taught us. The reality is both more interesting and less interesting. Thompson always manages to find THE person in each location who can tell him the history of Crockett in each place he goes.

Crockett became famous just at the time America was moving to the "celebrity" culture we know so Thompson roams around the country on the trail of Davy (who preferred to be called David) Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier. It's fascinating because we know so little about Crockett except what Walt Disney taught us. The reality is both more interesting and less interesting. Thompson always manages to find THE person in each location who can tell him the history of Crockett in each place he goes.

Crockett became famous just at the time America was moving to the "celebrity" culture we know so well (and many of us hate so much)so that fact and fiction are almost impossible to separate. Did Crockett write the autobiography he is said to have? Why did he go to Congress? Did he really give an impassioned speech against Andrew Jackson's Indian Relocaton Act? Why did he go to Texas? How did he die?

These are just some of the questions Thompson tries to answer. There are rarely any definitive answers.

He ends his journey, of course, at the Alamo. (I have my own VERY strong opinions about the Alamo, but I agree that Crockett died there.)And the story has to end on the note, How did Davy die?

I had the privilege to see an advanced copy of Bob Thompson's forthcoming book and can report that it's a lively and entertaining journey through the Southeast and Texas in search of Davy Crockett's life and legend. I worked with Bob at the Washington Post for many years and watched his skills as a researcher and myth-buster evolve over time. He was born to write this book and he's done a wonderful job.Born on a Mountaintop: On the Road with Davy Crockett and the Ghosts of the Wild FrontierI had the privilege to see an advanced copy of Bob Thompson's forthcoming book and can report that it's a lively and entertaining journey through the Southeast and Texas in search of Davy Crockett's life and legend. I worked with Bob at the Washington Post for many years and watched his skills as a researcher and myth-buster evolve over time. He was born to write this book and he's done a wonderful job.Born on a Mountaintop: On the Road with Davy Crockett and the Ghosts of the Wild Frontier...more

I gave it up after 100 pages. I expected it to be a straightforward biography of Davey Crockett, but it was more of a "follow along with the author as he drives all over the South investigating and sifting the Crockett legends from the real truth, talking to local historians, and musing about Crockett's life." It was an obnoxious format--continually switching from biography in the 1800s to contemporary memoir.

This book had its highlights, but mostly it was a rather bland slog through conjecture and rumor - not much actual fact is settled when it comes to Crockett - surrounding the life of a guy who really doesn't seem all that great when separated from the myths and Disneyfication.

Like a good deal of other reviewers, I came to this book expecting something more along the lines of a Tony Horwitz travelogue interspersed with history lessons related to the subject of the book. Here though, we received This book had its highlights, but mostly it was a rather bland slog through conjecture and rumor - not much actual fact is settled when it comes to Crockett - surrounding the life of a guy who really doesn't seem all that great when separated from the myths and Disneyfication.

Like a good deal of other reviewers, I came to this book expecting something more along the lines of a Tony Horwitz travelogue interspersed with history lessons related to the subject of the book. Here though, we received mostly a history lesson - so much as you can have one when most of the history needs to be preceded by "apparently," "supposedly," "some say," or "reportedly"- which the author, to his credit, fully acknowledges. This history is interspersed with a few trips to DC, Tennessee, and San Antonio. The trips seem more like an afterthought however, as they don't really add anything to the overall book, which remains mired down in trying to sift through what is fact and what is fiction.

Throughout the book, the author makes reference to a number of Crockett historians and enthusiasts who had spent years researching and writing books about just one aspect of Crockett's life - and even /those/ guys haven't yet been able to distill the Crockett story down to actual facts. Exactly because of this, I was hoping that this book would be more of an exploration of the places visited by Crockett throughout his life with along-the-way histories, stories, and anecdotes. Instead, what I got, seemingly, was a book filled with every possible alternative theory surrounding Crockett's life. "Did he enter Texas here, or here?" "What was he really doing in Texas?" "Did he die fighting, or did he surrender and get executed?" By the end of the constant this-or-that lessons - I found myself not caring at all about Crockett, and really turned off to the whole subject.

Never having seen the Disney show about Davy Crockett, or any of the movies focused on his life, I really didn't have much background to color my perception one way or the other prior to reading this book. All I know now, is that it took be almost two weeks to drag myself through this book, not learning much of anything I didn't already know even with my fairly ignorant background, and that the subject of this book seems like a pretty unlikable, unremarkable guy who just happened to be in the right place at the right time (and, ultimately, at the wrong place, at the wrong time)....more

I love historical road trip books. The combination of history and and a cross-country journey is irresistible to me, especially if the author makes sure to mix legitimate history with road side kitsch. Since Bob Thompson ends up visiting a Davy Crockett themed mini-golf course, remarking on Made in China coonskin caps, and eating Texas shaped pancakes, "Born on a Mountaintop" fits the bill.

Though Thompson does his due diligence, visiting all of the important sights as he traces Davy Crockett's lI love historical road trip books. The combination of history and and a cross-country journey is irresistible to me, especially if the author makes sure to mix legitimate history with road side kitsch. Since Bob Thompson ends up visiting a Davy Crockett themed mini-golf course, remarking on Made in China coonskin caps, and eating Texas shaped pancakes, "Born on a Mountaintop" fits the bill.

Though Thompson does his due diligence, visiting all of the important sights as he traces Davy Crockett's life and legend from Tennessee to Texas, this book does, at times, show the limits of the genre. While Thompson sets out to find some kind of meaning in the Davy Crockett legend, he never quite gets there. He flirts with America's frontier spirit, he brings up the specter of colonialism, he speculates the Crockett may have, in a way, been the absent father figure baby boomers longed for, but firm conclusions never quite present themselves.

You can't guarantee conclusions at the start of a journey, and you can't fault Thompson, who ended up writing a entertaining, thoughtful, and compelling book. But, next to classics of the genre like "Confederates in the Attic" and "Travels With Charley," "Born on a Mountaintop" just isn't in the same class. This is because though Davy Crockett is still captivating for many people, Thompson, and often the Crockett-ophiles themselves, don't exactly know why.

Perhaps Thompson would have done well to take the approach Carll Tucker does in "The Bear Went Over the Mountain," in which he goes to the graves of every president and vice president, and in the middle, breaks down wondering why the Hell he is doing it. But, Thompson loves Crockett and the Crockett legend too much for that.

Besides, just because a journey isn't perfectly fulfilling doesn't mean it isn't worth taking, and Thompson's talents as a writer and his historical rigor make "Born on a Mountaintop," a journey worth taking....more

While I'm much too young to have been alive during the Davy Crockett craze of the 50's, a lot of my knowledge of him is from Fess Parker and the movies. Reading this book made me realize that the man and the myth are two separate entities. It was really interesting to read about the author's trips around the country to learn more about him. In real life we actually don't have a lot of facts. I might have given more stars but there are so many people that sometimes I didn't know if I was3.5 Stars

While I'm much too young to have been alive during the Davy Crockett craze of the 50's, a lot of my knowledge of him is from Fess Parker and the movies. Reading this book made me realize that the man and the myth are two separate entities. It was really interesting to read about the author's trips around the country to learn more about him. In real life we actually don't have a lot of facts. I might have given more stars but there are so many people that sometimes I didn't know if I was supposed to remember the person or not!...more

Born on a mountain top in Tennessee,Greenest state in the land of the free.Raised in the woods so’s he knew every tree,Killed him a bear when he was only three.

Davy, Davy Crockett King of the Wild Frontier.

Just looking at the title of Bob Thompson’s new Davy Crockett book, Born on a Mountaintop, gets me humming this old Disney song from the fifties – even to the point that I have a hard time getting it back out of my head. Men (and probably more than a few women) of a certain age are likely to Born on a mountain top in Tennessee,Greenest state in the land of the free.Raised in the woods so’s he knew every tree,Killed him a bear when he was only three.

Davy, Davy Crockett King of the Wild Frontier.

Just looking at the title of Bob Thompson’s new Davy Crockett book, Born on a Mountaintop, gets me humming this old Disney song from the fifties – even to the point that I have a hard time getting it back out of my head. Men (and probably more than a few women) of a certain age are likely to have fond memories of the five-segment Walt Disney “Disneyland” series that spawned this little tune and all the Davy Crockett gear we managed to wear out between 1955 and 1956. I still remember the coonskin cap I wore everywhere and the little plastic frontier “rifle” I carried with me.

Suddenly, children across America were obsessed by a fabled hero that grabbed our imaginations like nothing had before. Davy’s (as portrayed by actor Fess Parker) face was on so many lunch boxes, magazines, comics, bubble gum cards, coloring books, games, and pajamas that Walt Disney was probably able to pay for most of Disneyland with his company’s share of the sales proceeds. Davy Crockett was that big – and we loved him. Little did most of us suspect, at least at the beginning, that he had been a real man. He really had been a congressman, an Indian-fighter (of a sort), and had died a hero’s death at the Alamo. When we found this out, especially those of us growing up in Texas, we were more enchanted by the idea of Davy Crockett than ever before. The man will be a mythical hero to us for the rest of our lives.

Only later would some of us wonder about David Crockett, the man who transformed himself into “Mythic Davy,” a national celebrity long before he died in San Antonio. Born on a Mountaintop, explores how Crockett managed to achieve that, the key role Walt Disney played in perpetuating the Crockett legend for at least another half century, and what might have really happened at the Alamo.

For author Bob Thompson it all started when his two little girls became obsessed with the Burl Ives version of that old Davy Crockett theme song. Soon, the girls were asking questions about Davy, his nemesis Andrew Jackson, and their shared history. Thompson, in the process of answering their questions, grew fascinated with the “alchemization of history into myth,” and a book idea was born. With many stops along the way, Thompson would walk in Crockett’s footsteps all the way from his east Tennessee birthplace, to where he fought Indians in Alabama with Jackson, to Washington D.C, and, finally, to the Alamo, where Crockett took his final breath.

Crockett, of course, would not survive long in Texas because of his decision to join the Texas army when it was least prepared to defend itself. But, as Thompson notes, from the moment word of his death reached the rest of the country, the real Davy Crockett was forever replaced in the minds of most by the fictional Crockett. And the myth that grew up around Crockett so deeply captured the imagination of Americans that his story would be common knowledge for close to 100 years before finally fading from the public consciousness.

Better timed for Crockett’s was his crossing of paths with another kind of legend, Walt Disney. Disney’s 1955 decision to use Crocket rather than the more conventional choice of Daniel Boone to help publicize the “Frontier Land” section of his new theme park, coincided perfectly with the “arrival” of television. Now, a cultural hero could be created from scratch in just a matter of weeks, and in Crockett’s case, there was so much good stuff to stretch that his myth would become more widely accepted than ever before – and it would endure for at least another half-century.

I am a native Texan. I live within an hour’s drive of the spot (Washington-on-the-Brazos) Sam Houston sat when the call for help arrived from the Alamo defenders. What is left of the Alamo itself is within easy driving range of me. Because their story has been part of my life since I was seven (thanks to Mr. Disney), I tend to give Davy Crockett, William B. Travis, and Jim Bowie stories the benefit of the doubt more times than not. But, when it comes to history, I am also a realist. Born on a Mountaintop re-visits all of the weakest points of the Davy Crockett legend that I have encountered and wondered about over the years. For lack of any real proof, Thompson’s theories about what really happened all those years ago will have to remain just that – theories. However, I feel certain that his theories are closer to the truth than the myths that have grown up around these heroic men.

But, you know what? I think I admire Crockett and the men of the Alamo more than ever because a book like Born on a Mountaintop is a good reminder of what real human beings can accomplish when challenged to do the seemingly impossible.

Born on a mountain top in Tennessee,Greenest state in the land of the free.Raised in the woods so’s he knew every tree,Killed him a bear when he was only three.

Interesting take on the Crockett story. Thompson attempts to trace Crockett from Tennessee to Texas and all points in between. What's true and what's made up? What is history and what is legend? When it comes to David Crockett, we'll probably never know.

Thompson, in his journey following Crockett from Tennessee to Washington to Texas, brings the man to life in a way that is both touching and enlightening. A great study of myth and fact and the thin line that separates the two.

I enjoyed this book. Davey Crocket is from my home town Morristown TN. They lived there in the late 1790's. This book has several people in it I know. They are East Tennessee experts on Davey Crockett.

Running across Bob Thompson’s 2012 book Born on a Mountaintop: On the Road with Davy Crockett and the Ghosts of the Wild Frontier in the public library last week was like running into an old friend that I hadn’t seen or heard from in over 25 years. Back in 1986, I was the coordinator for the Tennessee Department of Conservation during its bicentennial celebration of Crockett’s birth in the state of Tennessee. That time was great fun, and for a short while, I was considered an expert on the DRunning across Bob Thompson’s 2012 book Born on a Mountaintop: On the Road with Davy Crockett and the Ghosts of the Wild Frontier in the public library last week was like running into an old friend that I hadn’t seen or heard from in over 25 years. Back in 1986, I was the coordinator for the Tennessee Department of Conservation during its bicentennial celebration of Crockett’s birth in the state of Tennessee. That time was great fun, and for a short while, I was considered an expert on the David Crockett-the man, the myth, and the legend. I was what Thompson now calls a “Crockettologist.

As I read the book and thumbed through the index, I found lots of familiar names and familiar issues that I encountered during my year with the honorable Mister Crockett. Nowadays, however, there is a whole new crock of Crockettologists. It’s good to see that interest in Crockett the man, Crockett the myth, and Crockett the legend continues to excite people all ages and from all places.

Many of them are continuing discussions about the King of the Wild Frontier that were already ongoing back in 1986 like how Davy met his fate. There are also new research topics about Crockett that that are new. The historical man and life on the “wild frontier” continues to be the valid subjects of legitimate academic research. Especially interesting is Crockett’s role in the Tennessee Vacant Land bill which showed that the Gentleman from the Cane worked to help his constituents.The fact that he lost battle against the very powerful Andrew Jackson while he was in Congress makes his motto "Be sure you're right, then go ahead" seem more poignantly quixotic.

In the 2004 film The Alamo, General Santa Anna is told that David Crockett is one of the defender of the Alamo, and he responds "¿El cazador de osos?" While the historical Antonio López de Santa Anna may not have heard of the former congressman from West Tennessee, Davy's reputation clearly traveled with him to Texas, but it a man who came to help Travis defend the old mission. The legend has survived to this day; however, the historical David Crockett met his end in San Antonio de Bexar. Grown men in Nashville were reported to have cried in public when they heard the news. Crockett-the man as much as the myth and the legend touched and continues to touch people's hearts.

Thompson is an on-the-road sort of historian. Besides reading almost everything ever written about Davy, he traveled through the different locations of Crockett’s life-from his birthplace to his probable gravesite-discussing all aspects the frontiersman and his legacy. At the same time, he related to the reader his own meditations on the different locales and events and what the icon eventually came to mean to him.

To me, this is a new type of history writing which I first encountered reading Driving Mr. Albert: A Trip Across America with Einstein's Brain by Michael Paterniti. It’s an interesting and likeable approach that is akin to travel writing. It must be said, however, that Thompson does a great job of not writing too much about himself and keeping focused on the importance of Crockett to so many people.

Crockett was one of those charismatic people in history who started to become legendary during their lifetime and then iconic after their death. The Colonel was almost fifty when he died. That wasn’t a particularly young age to pass away in 1836, but the circumstances of the death were such that many people felt he had been taken away too soon.

Thompson does a great job showing the caliber of David Crockett’s character and how Davy stills lives in our heart. I heartily enjoyed reading Born on a Mountaintop: On the Road with Davy Crockett and the Ghosts of the Wild Frontier. It was like visiting an old friend years later and discovering that he can still whip his weight in wildcats....more

Anyone who lives in Texas learns very quickly the story of Davy Crockett, hero of the Alamo, frontiersman, statesman and soldier. I’ve been to the Alamo many times, paused in reverence at the various Crockett displays, and always considered him to be a hero without really knowing much about him. After all, he died at the Alamo—what more did I need to know?

In Born on a Mountaintop, Bob Thompson attempts to separate the myth from the man through visiting various locations mentioned in bios, myths Anyone who lives in Texas learns very quickly the story of Davy Crockett, hero of the Alamo, frontiersman, statesman and soldier. I’ve been to the Alamo many times, paused in reverence at the various Crockett displays, and always considered him to be a hero without really knowing much about him. After all, he died at the Alamo—what more did I need to know?

In Born on a Mountaintop, Bob Thompson attempts to separate the myth from the man through visiting various locations mentioned in bios, myths and legends of Crockett. It is not an easy task as the stories about Crockett abound, while there is little hard evidence to support most of them. Yet Thompson talks to local history buffs, researches contemporary writings, and tracks down artifacts, laying out all the evidence, presenting the possibilities, and then choosing the option that he feels has the most validity. In some cases, he just has to go with gut feeling and the knowledge he’s gained of Crockett’s personality through his research.

I found this book a gentle, easy read, learning as much about the way of life during Crockett’s life as I did about the man, himself. Lightly humorous, it is full of characters, modern and historical, and fun anecdotes. As a Texan, I know Crockett is a hero, but I learned about his fight for land rights for poor settlers, his political battles with Andrew Jackson and his vote against the removal of the Cherokees from their ancestral land.

I learned about his penchant for telling tall tales, his money struggles, and his two marriages—the first one seemingly for love, the second for convenience. I learned about the myths that sprung up about Crockett in his lifetime, the woodcut almanacs depicting him as a racist, Indian-fighting hero of the white man, and even the debate about whether he actually wore a coonskin cap or played the violin.

Thompson spends a lot of time examining films and other books about Crockett before finally tackling the question of how Crockett died at the Alamo—whether he died in glorious battle or whether he was captured and executed by Mexican troops. If anything, a little too much time is spent on this question—by the time I got to this part of the book, I was worn out from trying to separate fact from fiction, and I quite honestly have no more idea of the truth of Crockett’s death than I did before I read this book. However, the one message of this book is that when it comes right down to it, the truth about Crockett’s deeds doesn’t really matter.

As a man, Crockett stood for the poor, the disenfranchised because he came from poor and was poor from most of his life. The legends that grow up around him do not detract from who he was—a symbol for never giving up, for determination and for fighting against the structures of society that conspire to keep the poor people in their place. Anybody who enjoys reading about history or is a fan of Crockett will probably enjoy this book....more

Full disclaimer--I am old enough that I remember the Disney Crockett craze. I stood in line to shake Fess Parker's hand, my younger sister had a coonskin cap. I am the logical target audience for this book and I gobbled it up.The book is an interesting blend of biography, history, travelog and pop culture. Thompson does a deft job of balancing all those elements. He has a very engaging voice and the story flows easily.

Several points struck me--As an amateur genealogist, I was already aware of thFull disclaimer--I am old enough that I remember the Disney Crockett craze. I stood in line to shake Fess Parker's hand, my younger sister had a coonskin cap. I am the logical target audience for this book and I gobbled it up.The book is an interesting blend of biography, history, travelog and pop culture. Thompson does a deft job of balancing all those elements. He has a very engaging voice and the story flows easily.

Several points struck me--As an amateur genealogist, I was already aware of the frustrations that come with trying to find a paper trail for people on the frontier. David Crockett (the man, not the legend) is equally had to trace through the public record. Thompson wisely takes advantage of the Crockett-ologists who have done some of the digging. (Somehow, he managed to find the one person in every town he visited who was able to answer his questions, etc...)Davy Crockett, the legendary and popular culture figure, is easier to trace. Readers unfamiliar with that period of American history might be amazed at how Davy Crockett seized the popular imagination; he was a genuine celebrity. And David did a lot to keep the frenzy going. (All of this, without the help of today's gossip magazines.)This leads to the inevitable result that separating the man from the legend is nigh on impossible.

A recommending read for those interested in American pop culture of any era....more

Say "Born on a Mountaintop in Tennessee" to any American male over the age of 50 and you will get most of the song from the Disney show. This book is wonderful, as it is a slice of America that has spent the better part of the last 30 years disappearing. When I was a kid (even now) I was a sucker for historical markers, small town museums and local histories. More people should be.

Thompson's writing is excellent, and he is almost affectionate in his descriptions of the many "Crockettologists" wiSay "Born on a Mountaintop in Tennessee" to any American male over the age of 50 and you will get most of the song from the Disney show. This book is wonderful, as it is a slice of America that has spent the better part of the last 30 years disappearing. When I was a kid (even now) I was a sucker for historical markers, small town museums and local histories. More people should be.

Thompson's writing is excellent, and he is almost affectionate in his descriptions of the many "Crockettologists" with whom he crosses paths . I learned much in this book, including that Phil Collins is an Alamo nut. More than that, Thompson (along with historians that he gratefully thanks) fills in much of the Crockett story in East Tennessee.

Crockett myths are a dime a dozen and they provide the background for Thompson's road trip. The author's take on many of these is secondary to the discussion of how myth changes and obfuscates history, and this is what makes this book excellent. A lesser writer may have turned this into a long "debunking" trip, but Thompson goes beyond that to try to find meaning in Crockett and his myth. So what if Crockett did or did not wear a coonskin cap? Fess Parker did, by God, so what can we learn from that? ...more

This book tries to reconcile the real Davy Crockett with the mythical hero. The goal is not to shatter anyone's illusions about a larger-than-life historical figure but to look at the reality behind the legend. The author undertakes a road trip, following David from his birthplace in Tennessee to the Alamo, talking to fans and experts along the way. It is an eye-opening journey for an ordinary reader whose image of Crockett came courtesy of the Walt Disney/Fess Parker creation. There is plenty tThis book tries to reconcile the real Davy Crockett with the mythical hero. The goal is not to shatter anyone's illusions about a larger-than-life historical figure but to look at the reality behind the legend. The author undertakes a road trip, following David from his birthplace in Tennessee to the Alamo, talking to fans and experts along the way. It is an eye-opening journey for an ordinary reader whose image of Crockett came courtesy of the Walt Disney/Fess Parker creation. There is plenty to be learned and no clear conclusions are found due to lack of concrete evidence, but the author is honest in this area. My take-away from this book was that it is best to leave the myth in place for the consumer masses and leave the reality to those whose curiousity leads them to dig a little deeper. Thankfully my curiosity was piqued and the various realities uncovered here led me to a better understanding of America's need for heroes, both real and imagined....more

My mom was an infant when Disney reintroduced Davy Crockett. My Dad was barely old enough to watch, and loved it. It helped that he and Davy were both from East Tennessee-- he said it was the first time he'd ever seen someone from "home" portrayed on TV. So I come to my Crockett interest naturally.

Thompson has done an excellent job with this history/travelogue style tour of Crockett's life. I like this style of writing--I love Sarah Vowell and Tony Horowitz. And I really enjoyed the way ThompsoMy mom was an infant when Disney reintroduced Davy Crockett. My Dad was barely old enough to watch, and loved it. It helped that he and Davy were both from East Tennessee-- he said it was the first time he'd ever seen someone from "home" portrayed on TV. So I come to my Crockett interest naturally.

Thompson has done an excellent job with this history/travelogue style tour of Crockett's life. I like this style of writing--I love Sarah Vowell and Tony Horowitz. And I really enjoyed the way Thompson fell into Crockett: his four year daughter's obsession.

This is a good book that does a great job discussing how truth becomes legend, how celebrity happens, and how David became Davy. I love to play historical what ifs, and one of the good ones is what if David Crockett hadn't died at the Alamo? Would he be forgotten? Would he have served Congress again, from Texas? We won't know, which is pretty apt since there's much David's life we don't know now.

This started out like it was going to be a rather lighthearted travelogue of Davy Crockett related sites. Then it seemed like Thompson really got into it and it started to morph into a traditional history. He then came to realize that it was important to separate Crockett the man from Crockett the myth. To his distinct credit, he came to realize that much of the time, this separation is impossible. Therein lies a valuable lesson for those of us who love to read history. Even the best writers begThis started out like it was going to be a rather lighthearted travelogue of Davy Crockett related sites. Then it seemed like Thompson really got into it and it started to morph into a traditional history. He then came to realize that it was important to separate Crockett the man from Crockett the myth. To his distinct credit, he came to realize that much of the time, this separation is impossible. Therein lies a valuable lesson for those of us who love to read history. Even the best writers begin with a bias that colors what they write and even eyewitness accounts of an event are often unreliable. The best we can hope for is to read numerous sources and decide for ourselves what to believe. A lot of good material here which he attempts to present objectively....more

There's a genre of books. Kind of a mix of history, travel, and humor. Sarah Vowell is the master of it. I have loved everything of hers I've ever read. (Assassination Vacation is a great one to start with if you want to try her out.) Tony Horwitz has also written in this area. His book Confederates in the Attic is just outstanding.

This book is an example of that genre. The author looks at the life and legend of Davy Crockett. There's actual history here as the author travels to various places There's a genre of books. Kind of a mix of history, travel, and humor. Sarah Vowell is the master of it. I have loved everything of hers I've ever read. (Assassination Vacation is a great one to start with if you want to try her out.) Tony Horwitz has also written in this area. His book Confederates in the Attic is just outstanding.

This book is an example of that genre. The author looks at the life and legend of Davy Crockett. There's actual history here as the author travels to various places Crockett lived, worked, and eventually died. There's also lots on the legend. How David Crockett became Davy. Good book. Not quite as laugh out loud funny as Sarah Vowell or as insightful as Confederates in the Attic but still well worth your time to read it. ...more

This is an excellent book combining solid historical scholarship and an enjoyable search through today to separate fact from myth. Enjoyed reading it a lot. I've posted my review on my blog at http://tedlehmann.blogspot.com/2013/0.... My friend Sam Sattler, who blogs at Book Chase (http://bookchase.blogspot.com/) and I have posted our reviews simultaneously and cross posted them. It's an interesting exercise, especially considering differences considerable differences in our mututal passions. This is an excellent book combining solid historical scholarship and an enjoyable search through today to separate fact from myth. Enjoyed reading it a lot. I've posted my review on my blog at http://tedlehmann.blogspot.com/2013/0.... My friend Sam Sattler, who blogs at Book Chase (http://bookchase.blogspot.com/) and I have posted our reviews simultaneously and cross posted them. It's an interesting exercise, especially considering differences considerable differences in our mututal passions. ...more

Part biography/history, part travel guide, part nostalgic trip down memory lane. Thompson seemlessly weaves his personal journey with those of others still smitten long after their coonskin-wearin', Crockett themesong-singin' days by ol' Davy's legend or, for decades, utilizing it to make a dollar in out of the way towns and big cities from New England to San Antonio. Familiar ground for Crockett aficionados, to be sure, but with large dollops of fresh information, like story behind the congressPart biography/history, part travel guide, part nostalgic trip down memory lane. Thompson seemlessly weaves his personal journey with those of others still smitten long after their coonskin-wearin', Crockett themesong-singin' days by ol' Davy's legend or, for decades, utilizing it to make a dollar in out of the way towns and big cities from New England to San Antonio. Familiar ground for Crockett aficionados, to be sure, but with large dollops of fresh information, like story behind the congressman's visit to the mills of New England. Deserves to be on every Crockett shelf....more